Forrestville Man Sentenced to Over 29 Years for
Cocaine Conspiracy and Gun Violations

FEB 26--Greenbelt, Maryland - Stevie Burton, age 43, of Forestville, Maryland, was sentenced today to 352 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for participating in a narcotics conspiracy and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to his plea agreement, from February 2001 to December 2004 Burton conspired to distribute between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine, and between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of cocaine base (crack cocaine). From 2002 until 2004, Burton used an apartment at 3502 Terrace Drive, Suitland, Maryland to store, weigh and repackage the cocaine for distribution. Burton regularly cooked powder cocaine into crack cocaine which he provided to other conspirators for redistribution.

On October 15, 2003, Burton hand delivered 94.5 grams of crack cocaine to an individual at a barber shop in Suitland, along with $6,500, in exchange for two Rolex watches and two Cartier watches. On June 10, 2004, Burton met a conspirator at the Terrace Drive apartment to receive cocaine. Shortly thereafter, Burton left the apartment with some of the cocaine and drove to a liquor store. When Burton left the liquor store, he was stopped by police for driving under the influence. Law enforcement recovered two packages containing a kilogram and 1/4 kilogram of cocaine, and a Bryco Arms Jennings 9mm handgun hidden in a compartment of the minivan. A search of his apartment revealed an additional 3/4 kilogram of cocaine, $17,000 in cash, scales and a seal-a-meal appliance used for sealing bags of drugs. With the proceeds from his drug business, Burton was able to remodel and do significant construction on a piece of residential property he owned on Webster Lane in Fort Washington, Maryland. The equity on the house alone was well over $320,000. The government is seeking forfeiture of the proceeds from the sale of Burton's property.

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. denied Burton credit for acceptance of responsibility, finding that he testified falsely at a January 17, 2007 hearing on his motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau Investigation for their investigative work, and commended Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Wilkinson and Special Assistant United States Attorney Del Wright, who prosecuted the case.